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confined to inaccessible nooks and crannies in a few hot, humid, steep-sided barrancos on Tenerife,La Palma and Gran Canaria. It is however, commonly planted in parks and gardens, where iteventually develops into a graceful, umbrella-shaped tree, its single trunk topped by numerousforked branches, at the ends of which grow clusters of half-metre-long, sword-shaped leaves.LaurisilvaAs the prevailing northerly winds encounter the abrupt peaks of the westernmost Canary Islandsthey are forced upwards, such that the air cools and water vapour condenses, creating a dense,persistent cloud layer between 500 and 1,200 m on the north-facing slopes. This humid, montanezone is occupied by the renowned laurel forests – known locally as laurisilva – of the archipelago.Wreathed in perpetual mist, these damp, shady woodlands represent some of the last remainingexamples of the semi-tropical vegetation that dominated much of Europe during the Tertiary period,with exceptional stands preserved within the Garajonay National Park on La Gomera.Among the trees of the laurisilva, adaptation to high levels of humidity has resulted in an overridingmorphological stereotype, similar to that frequently encountered in the tropical forests of the world:tough, evergreen, glossy leaves with pronounced ‘drip-tips’, such that water runs off easily anddoesn’t accumulate to rot the foliage. As a result, it is hard to differentiate between the various treespecies that make up the canopy, only four of which are in fact laurels (family Lauraceae): Laurusnovocanariensis, Ocotea foetens, Persea indica and Apollonias barbujana. The other characteristiclaurisilva trees belong to a wide range of families: Small-leaved and Large-leaved Hollies (Ilexcanariensis and Ilex perado ssp. platyphylla), in the Aquifoliaceae, Prunus lusitanica ssp. hixa, inthe Rosaceae, the strawberry-tree Arbutus canariensis (Ericaceae), the buckthorn Rhamnusglandulosa (Rhamnaceae), and Pleiomeris canariensis (a Canary endemic genus) and Heberdeniaexcelsa in the essentially tropical Myrsinaceae.In the most ancient of these woodlands, the branches of the trees are interlinked to such an extentthat the canopy is continuous. As a result, the forest floor receives virtually no light at all, such thatonly a few extremely shade-tolerant plants can survive at ground level, for example, the orangefloweredfoxglove relative Isoplexis canariensis and a tall member of the gentian family with largeyellow flowers known as Ixanthus viscosus; another Canary endemic genus. Ferns too abound here,notably the spectacular Woodwardia radicans, whose two-metre fronds produce roots where theirtips meet the ground, as well as Dryopteris oligodonta, Pteris incompleta and Diplazium caudatum.Climbing plants such as the blue-flowered bindweed Convolvulus canariensis, the exquisite CanaryBellflower (Canarina canariensis) and the liliaceous lianes Smilax canariensis and Semeleandrogyna scramble through the understorey in order to get closer to the light, while epiphyticlichens, mosses and ferns – particularly Davallia canariensis – festoon the trunks of the trees, theirwater requirements satisfied by the constant mist.Among the animal inhabitants of the laurisilva, the two endemic laurel pigeons undoubtedly takepride of place. Both Bolle’s Pigeon and the Laurel Pigeon are confined to the islands of La Palma,El Hierro, La Gomera and Tenerife, where they feed almost exclusively on the fleshy fruits of thelaurel forest trees. While the Laurel Pigeon tends to nest in crevices or small caves on rockyoutcrops, usually just below the laurisilva zone, in the thermophilic woodlands, Bolle’s Pigeonbreeds only in the thickest, most mature laurel forests, constructing untidy platforms of sticks in thetrees; clutch size in both species is just a single egg. Other noteworthy birds of these forests, thoughin most cases not exclusive to them, are the Canary Islands Chiffchaff (Phylloscopus canariensis),the various forms of the taxonomically confusing African Blue Tit (Cyanistes teneriffae) complex,and the various races (canariensis, palmae and ombriosa) of Common Chaffinch (Fringillacoelebs), all of which are also confined to the archipelago. The diminutive Canary Islands Kinglet,formerly considered a full species, has recently been demoted to a subspecies of Common Goldcrest(Regulus regulus teneriffae).6
Canary Pine ForestsAbove the sea of cloud that is such a feature of north-facing slopes, humidity is lower andtemperatures decrease significantly, especially at night, despite the fact that the level of insolation ismuch higher. These fairly harsh conditions give rise to a Dry Montane Zone that extends fromabout 1,200 m to 2,000 m, while on southerly inclines, in the absence of the laurel forests, it maycommence at just 700 m above sea level. The only native tree able to tolerate this marked diurnaltemperature variation and paucity of soil water is the Canary Pine (Pinus canariensis), a speciesunique to the archipelago.As is the case with the laurisilva, Canary Pine forests are absent from the low-lying islands ofFuerteventura and Lanzarote, with the most extensive stands occurring on Tenerife, La Palma, ElHierro and Gran Canaria. The Canary Pine is blessed with an extensive root system that allows it tocolonize even the poorest of soils, including lava flows and pyroclastic fall-out, although underfavourable conditions these trees can grow to a staggering 50 m. It is also supremely adapted toforest fires, able to shoot from the base even after the tree has been completely destroyed, while theseeds germinate readily after such events. As pine needles decay extremely slowly, the soil beneaththe trees is very poor in nutrients, such that other plants find it difficult to grow here; among themost characteristic shrubs are the pink-flowered Cistus symphytifolius and the legumeChamaecytisus proliferus, distinguished by its white flowers, both of which grow only in theCanary Islands.Not many species of insect find pine needles palatable, but caterpillars of the Canary endemic mothMacaronesia fortunata (family Lymantriidae) are the exception to the rule, sometimes reachingplague proportions in the Canary Pine forests, while the larvae of the jewel beetle Buprestisbertholoti (family Buprestidae) and the bark-gnawing beetle Temnochila pini (family Ostomidae)feed in dead pine trees.Two endemic races of Great Spotted Woodpecker (Dendrocopos major) – thanneri from GranCanaria and canariensis on Tenerife – have their strongholds in the Canary pine forests, wherenight-flying invertebrates provide food for the Canary Big-eared Bat, which is also confined to thearchipelago. The best-known denizen of this habitat, however, is the Canary endemic BlueChaffinch, the males of which are stunning slate-blue birds. They are often seen in small groups inthe more open pine woodlands of Tenerife’s Corona Forestal Natural Park, foraging for the pinekernels that make up a large part of their diet.The High Mountain Zone: Retamar–CodesarAbove 2000 metres, night-time environmental conditions are so harsh that trees cannot grow, suchthat the Canary Pines are replaced by a unique high-mountain scrub known locally as Retamar–Codesar. Only La Palma and Tenerife reach this altitude in the Canaries, peaking respectively atRoque de los Muchachos (2,426 m) and El Teide (3,715 m), head and shoulders above the rest ofthe archipelago.The principal shrubs of these bleak, ‘cold desert’ habitats are the bushy legumes known as Retamadel Teide (Spartocytisus supranubius) and Codeso de Cumbre (Adenocarpus viscosus), both ofwhich are unique to the Canaries. Many of the other shrubs of these heights adopt the classiccushion habit so typical of high-mountain species, in winter resembling nothing so much as a flockof ‘vegetable sheep’. Among the more commonplace species are the crucifers Descurainiabourgeauana and Erysimum scoparium, with yellow and pink flowers, respectively, the figwortScrophularia glabrata, the scabious Pterocephalus lasiospermus and the compositesArgyranthemum tenerifae and Cheirolophus teydis.Perhaps the most memorable plant of these heights, however, is the spectacular viper’s-buglossknown as Tajinaste Rojo (Echium wildpretii), common in Tenerife’s Cañadas del Teide NationalPark, but extremely rare on La Palma. In late summer, each large, silvery leaf-rosette produces a fatspike several metres tall, studded with hundreds – if not thousands – of small, blood-red flowers.7
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Page 9 and 10: Important coastal sand-dune systems
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Page 15 and 16: MAPS AND INFORMATIONYou will be sen
Page 17 and 18: Thurs 23 FebruaryFirst thing after
Page 19 and 20: MAKING A BOOKINGIf you wish to conf

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